Hi, We're so confused about what type of flooring we should put in at our beach house. We really need some pros and cons for laminate/Pergo vs. hardwood flooring. It's a small beach house, and we are ripping out the rug that was there when we bought it because it has been so hard to maintain with kids tracking in sand from the beach, spilling things, etc. HELP PLEASE!!!

have you talked to any of the neighbors?

JMO, I replaced my carpet with med. color laminate. I have a cat and every tiny piece of litter she tracks around shows. If I were you I might consider a light color. It will still be there but it won't show as much. Annie

Well...if I was blessed enough to own a beach house it would probably have neither. I'd opt for a tile but would use area rugs for warmth, softness and color underfoot. The rug could be a sisal w/ a mat to keep it from slipping. If you do go w/ tile, be sure to seal the grout.

I was going to suggest tile as well. My parents have a beach house. While they do have carpet in the living room and bedroom, they have tile in the large kitchen. Both entrances to the house are via the kitchen and sometimes a bit of sand gets on the carpet, we just vacuum that up.

Have you considered adding an outdoor shower? My parents don't have one but they are popular in their neighborhood. We usually rinse off as we leave the beach or hit the pool before we head home to the house so we aren't really sandy.

I'd probably consider doing tile though in the main living areas and use area rugs, then do carpet in the bedrooms if you want some warmth.

Laminate! We have the Bellawood 50 year warranty hard woods in our house and they stand up to a lot, but not water or sand. Our entry way is a mess because of the snow, sand from winter. We actually put laminate floors over it. We have laminate in our bedroom and they look beautiful and are so durable and wonderful. Spill water, no problem. No cracks, no dings... Go with the laminate floors.

How about the vinyl planks that look like wood? They are individually installed planks of vinyl that come in a variety of wood and colors. I don't know how laminate or hardwood would hold up againts salt and sand. Beach houses are all about relaxing so go for the easy clean up.

I live at the beach (across the street from the water). Most of the houses here have hardwood floors. I would suggest if you go with hardwood, that you pick something "rustic" looking, so when it scratches, it will just kind of blend in.

and around sand, it's definitely gonna scratch!!.... I'd go tiles, too.... unless I went with real wood that was 'distressed' already... like barn siding or something....

Well - I think you are finding there are many different opinions on this board. That's not a bad thing - but you will have to choose what you feel is best for your situation. For us, we just put Sam's laminate in our lake house. It fit the budget perfectly and it looks better than the hardword in our home. Other reasons for using it is that this is "only a cottage" and we felt it would hold up to the "elements" of our yard - including sand. I've attach a pic of our landing area from the family room/entry up to the kitchen. BTW - we even put it in the bath. Good luck with your decision.